Wishing
by Ocianne
Summary: Makoto wakes from a nightmare of the past... MakoNeph One-shot.


Written for the MakoNeph Ficathon at the forums. As a personal challenge, the fic is exactly 1000 words long  it's hard to ramble with a word limit.

Disclaimer: Makoto and Nephrite belong to themselves and their creator.

Dedication: To the writers of good fanfiction.

* * *

Night had fallen over the forest, and a campfire crackled in a clearing ringed with pine trees. Carefully constructed to keep from spreading, it burned brightly against the surrounding darkness. The darkness couldn't be called silent, because crickets chirruped their unique song to their fellow creatures, both sleeping and awake.

In the light around the campfire, five slumbering forms lay in a makeshift pentagon of sleeping bags. Or, in the interest of accuracy, four girls slept. One girl was waking up from a restless sleep.

Makoto's body spasmed, mind abruptly breaking free of the dreamworld. The dream had seemed so real... She blinked back tears. She had promised a long time ago that she would never, ever cry over him again. The one and only time she had done so, it had been with tears of blood. That was enough, wasn't it?

Closing her eyes against the tears that continued to gather, she did not fight the memory that swept over her senses.

_ Screams of death and agony, the clash of metal on metal, the stink of blood and sweat, and pain. Such had become her world; there was nothing outside of it, and she could hardly remember there ever being anything else. Striking, lashing, pummeling, she fought on, her entire existence consisting of only a few lingering phrases in her memory._

_ She had failed to protect Serenity. Her princess' protection depended on the prince, now._

_ She was fighting an endless horde of monsters, which would keep attacking until she died._

_ The Moon Kingdom was being destroyed._

_ And..._

_ The youma she was fighting abruptly stopped and withdrew. A deprecating chuckle came from her left, and she whirled around._

_ And four of the five greatest men she had ever known were facilitating her home's destruction._

_ He stepped toward her, and she took a step back to match it. "Afraid, love?"_

_ She shook her head, not daring to speak. She _was_ afraid; afraid of having to fight a mockery of the man she once knew and loved. Afraid that she would be unable to do her duty as a guardian, and slay him._

_ He drew his sword. She made no move, stilled by the memories floating before her eyes: A soft smile, so different from the sneer marring his face; the wind blowing through his hair as their horses raced to the stables; the rhythmic cadence of his low voice when he tried to explain something. _

_ As he stepped forward again, a last memory appeared: The face of her beloved princess, smiling sweetly. And the words of an oath, made so long ago... "I swear to do my utmost in protection of my liege, no matter the situation or the price. I swear..."_

_ Repeating the oath in her head, she focused him. He stood, waiting, his sword held loosely in hand. Steeling herself, she retrieved her long dagger from its place in her inter-dimensional pocket and planted her feet in a defensive position. _

_ "Your move," she whispered, the statement conjuring up the image of Mercury and her endless games of chess. Had it only been yesterday that her friend captured her king in five turns?_

_ Her question was left unanswered. He attacked and their fight consumed all her concentration. It was a dance — a deadly waltz where the first to miss a beat would pay for it with his or her life. _

_ They followed the steps with practiced ease, blow for blow and feint for feint. He was her match, and she was his._

_ And then, almost in perfect synchronization, her knife pierced his heart as his sword opened a gash from hairline to chin across her right eye._

_ He stared at her, eyes wide and disbelieving. Taking advantage of his shock, she grasped the handle again and sent a wave of power down the blade, electrocuting him. He collapsed, his lifeless eyes still watching her. She fell to her knees beside him, blood and sweat mixing with the tears from her remaining eye._

_ "I'm sorry," she whispered to her princess, her friends, and her love. "Goodbye..." _

_ No one heard her last words but the youma finishing what their master had begun. _

She clenched her fists against her tears, tilting her head toward the sky to keep them from slipping down her cheeks. She would _not_ cry. But by looking up, she found herself staring at the night sky and the stars he had loved so much, and that was the last straw. Hugging her knees, she rocked back and forth, releasing tears and quiet sobs.

"It's not fair, why you? Why again? Why can't you come back?"

But her murmured demands received no answer but the sounds of the forest. After some time, she calmed, and recovered enough to observe the stars once more. She watched Jupiter for a while, allowing the sight of her favorite planet to soothe her.

"Planet light, planet bright," she improvised under breath, still gazing at the shining sparkle. "Favorite planet of the night, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."

_Let him come back._

Wiping her eyes, she settled back into her sleeping bag. In a few minutes sleep overtook her, and she dreamed of a future where he lived and fought by her side.

In a place of mist, a watcher smiled as she saw the wish be made from her post. Looking to other places, at last she said:

"Your wish will be granted, it seems... Though you may have done better to specify when and where."

Her only reply was silence, but it was what she expected. In that silence, however, something tugged at her consciousness, demanding attention.

It seemed that she had a task of her own to do for this. Not that she minded; distractions were hard to come by, let alone excuses to be elsewhere. She turned and waked through the door. The only remaining evidence of her presence, the echo of heels clicking on the floor, faded behind her.

* * *

AN: Written in the style of _What is Not_. Sometime in the future, I'll finish of my pairing quartet and be able to say I've written all four couples. Woohoo.


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